1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to stands used for musical instruments such as drum kits, and particularly to stands of hi-hat cymbals.
This application is based on Patent Application No. Hei 11-146205 filed in Japan, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Musical instruments such as drum kits consisting of sets of drums and cymbals use various types of stands such as stands of hi-hat cymbals (hereinafter, referred to as "hi-hat stands"). Herein, the hi-hat stand supports hi-hat cymbals, i.e., a pair of cymbals being arranged in a face-to-face manner, as follows:
A lower fixed cymbal is mounted on a main body of the hi-hat stand. An operation rod is provided to penetrate through inside of the main body of the hi-hat stand such that it is capable of freely moving up and down. An upper moving cymbal is attached to an upper portion of the operation rod such that it is arranged opposite to face with the lower fixed cymbal. A pedal is attached to a lower portion of the operation rod such that it is interlocked with the operation rod in vertical movement. When a performer depresses the pedal with his or her foot, the operation rod correspondingly moves down so that the upper moving cymbal strikes the lower fixed cymbal to produce a cymbal sound. The operation rod is normally pressed upwardly by a return spring. So, the performer depresses down the pedal against spring force of the return spring.
FIG. 4 shows a conventional example of the hi-hat stand equipped with hi-hat cymbals being performed. That is, a hi-hat stand 1 is basically constructed by a folding tripod (or legs) 2, a hollow stand member 3, an operation rod 4, a spring device 5 and a pedal device 6. Herein, the stand member 3 is supported by the folding tripod 2 so that it stands vertically on the floor. The operation rod 4 is arranged inside of the stand member 3 to penetrate through its hollow space. So, the operation rod 4 is able to move up and down inside of the stand member 3. The spring device 5 normally presses the operation rod 4 upwardly. The pedal device 6 is attached to a lower portion of the stand member 3. A lower fixed cymbal 7 is fixed to an upper portion of the stand member 3, while an upper moving cymbal 8 is attached to an upper portion of the operation rod 4. Those cymbals 7, 8 are arranged opposite to each other in a face-to-face manner.
The spring device 5 is constructed by a pipe 9 which is fixed to an outer periphery of the lower portion of the stand member 3. In addition, it contains a return spring (not shown) which is built in the pipe 9. The return spring normally presses the operation rod 4 upwardly, so that in a non-performance mode, the upper moving cymbal 8 is located being apart from the lower fixed cymbal 7 in a vertical direction.
The pedal device 6 is constructed by a pedal frame 10, a heel 11, a pedal 12 and a transmission member 13. Herein, the pedal frame 10 has an L-shape in side view and is placed on the floor. The heel 11 is connected with a back-end portion of the pedal frame 10 in proximity to a performer. A back end of the pedal 12 is interconnected with the heel 11 such that a front end thereof is capable of freely moving up and down with rotary motion. The front end of the pedal 12 is interconnected with a lower end of the operation rod 4 by means of the transmission member 13 containing a belt and a chain. When a performer depresses down the pedal 12 with his or her foot, the operation rod 4 moves down against spring force of the spring device 5, so that the upper moving cymbal 8 strikes the lower fixed cymbal 7.
In the case of the aforementioned hi-hat stand 1, performability of the hi-hat cymbals is greatly influenced by an intersecting angle being formed between a floor surface and the pedal 12 being depressed. Because, an angle of the pedal 12 determines a stroke of the operation rod 4. So, if the angle is very large, it is difficult for the performer to play the cymbals rapidly. In addition, the performer has a difficulty in playing the cymbals and is easily get tired with movement of his or her foot. In contrast, if the angle is very small, it is difficult for the performer to operate the pedal 12 delicately.
To cope with the aforementioned drawbacks, the hi-hat stand 1 is equipped with an angle adjustment mechanism for continuously adjusting the angle of the pedal 12, an example of which is shown in FIG. 5. That is, the angle adjustment mechanism shown in FIG. 5 is constructed by a number of parts, as follows:
One end of the transmission member 13 is brought into contact with and interlocked with a roller 14 in connection with the pedal 12, while an opposite end of the transmission member 13 is fixed to a top portion of the pedal frame 10 by means of a bolt 15, a nut 16 and an elongated (or elliptical) hole 17. Herein, the opposite end of the transmission member 13 is capable of freely moving up and down within a long length of the elongated hole 17, into which the bolt 15 is inserted and is screwed with the nut 16. That is, it is possible to continuously adjust the angle of the pedal 12 in response to movement of the bolt 15 that moves along the elongated hole 17.
The aforementioned angle adjustment mechanism is fixed by a human operator (e.g., performer), as follows:
At an angle adjustment mode, the human operator loosens the nut 16 to release the bolt 15 to move up or down along the elongated hole 17. That is, the human operator moves up or down the bolt 15 along the elongated hole 17 to set a desired angle for the pedal 12. Then, the human operator tightens the nut 16 to fix the bolt 15 to the elongated hole 17 at a prescribed position.
As described above, the conventional angle adjustment mechanism is disadvantageous in that it needs complicated adjustment work by use of a specific tool such as a wrench (or a spanner). In addition, there is a problem in which if the nut 16 goes loosened by vibrations being applied to the hi-hat stand 1 during performance, the bolt 15 is released to move along the elongated hole 17 so that the angle of the pedal 12 is varied unintentionally.